User talk:DokEnkephalin
Knox's 5th and "Whydunnit" This commandment was narrowly written to address a contemporary phenomenon that Ronald Knox felt was stunting the maturation of the mystery genre: the inclusion of a character whose only purpose is to hate the author's intended demographic. Chinamen figured so popularly that their appearance in the plot was either a justification for writer and reader prejudices, or as a Red Herring. Either conclusion muddies the process of deduction the reader should have opportunity to enjoy. But episode 7's emphasis on motive and the heart indicates something in the broader spirit of the commandment still applies here, with phrasing I would propose to be: 5. It is forbidden for the culprit to have no personal motive. This would rule out spooky foreigners and ethnicities, homicidal maniacs, doomsday cultists, anarchists, etc. This wouldn't rule out a spirit of vengeance, if said spirit had been personally wronged, though naturally that would be addressed by the 2nd. Van Dine would also rule out secret societies and criminal organizations, but internal politics could easily be a consideration. All ''politics is personal, especially in a tighter knit group. Dismissing ambition as a motive to murder ignores the question of why the culprit would be unwilling or unable to advance in cooperation with the victim, why there was rivalry rather than alliance. This wording would rule out ''Higurashi's true culprit; the murderer of the entire village of Hinamizawa. Villain flags were waved furiously over this character, but they could as easily have been dismissed as red herrings due to the weak 'whydunnit' presented. Until Matsuribayashi-hen, no motivation more substantial than "For the Evulz!" or "For Science!" is given. Only after the reveal is it shown how the motive is so deeply personal that even the "Madness!" of the syndrome is abolished as a 'whydunnit'. Knox's Big Ten 1. It is forbidden for the culprit to be anyone not mentioned in the early part of the story. One of the anti-asspull rules; the murderer has to be an established character and not a last minute Diabolus Ex Machina. The second clause of the original rule, "must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to follow," is now covered by the 9th. 2. It is forbidden for supernatural agencies to be employed as a detective technique. Nothing Battler sees, hears or learns from Beatrice or in the Meta-World may form the basis of his deduction. That eliminates everything that Battler didn't personally witness (everything else is subject to doubt due to 9th commandment anyway.) The Red Truth has the potential for violation of this rule, but Beatrice is careful to use it either to uphold this Decalogue, or to stand in for Detective's Authority, compensating for Battler's inability to investigate as freely as he should be allowed to due to practical, logistical or security constraints. Anything Battler should've been able to investigate exhaustively as the detective but either didn't or couldn't, the Red Text would be permitted to fill in, including Devil's Proofs. 3. It is forbidden for hidden passages to exist. At least in connection with closed rooms. There are secret passages, but they're designed for a purpose other than obfuscating closed door mysteries. Hidden passages do not feature into any of the locked rooms puzzles. 4. It is forbidden for unknown drugs or hard to understand scientific devices to be used. Another anti-asspull rule: no surprise Phlebotinum, and Clarke's Law cannot be used to do an end run around the 2nd; 'sufficiently advanced technology' is ruled out the same as magic. The crimes may only be committed with means the layperson is familiar with (This is kind of dependent on the audience, but this story assumes Battler's level of education.) Any currently available technology would be permissible if introduced early enough in the story, as in this Internet age it's easy enough to verify the existence and operation of it before proceeding further into the mystery. 5. Not applicable '''The original covered ethnicities the audience is sure to be prejudiced against, but everyone in this story is Japanese (mukokuseki as they may be.) It could be extended to apply to characters whose only developed dimension is to be interpreted as sinister, malicious or threatening to the audience, naturally including wicked witches and diabolical demons. '''6. It is forbidden for accident or intuition to be employed as a detective technique. Another anti-asspull. This doesn't actually come up in the anime. Along with the 2nd, it means no one can spew random speculations as Red Truths to find out which ones will actually work. 7. It is forbidden for the detective to be the culprit. The detective can't be the one whodunnit. It also implies some guarantee on the 9th, see below. 8. It is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not presented. All clues necessary to solution must be revealed to both detective and audience. Red Truth revelations qualify as clues. 9. It is permitted for observers to let their own conclusions and interpretations be heard. Every point of view, everything seen and even thought, is as credible as the character whose POV it is. This includes the culprit's point of view and internal monologues. Along with the 7th, it's expected that the detective's POV (Battler's) will always be seen objectively, and their thoughts will be honestly revealed. 10. It is forbidden for a character to disguise themselves as another without any clues. There are some hints (admittedly very tenuous hints) that become critical in the sound novel, but the anime never gives any payoff for noticing or figuring them out. Bernkastel end.jpg ending1.jpg